Here I discuss/review three interconnects Van den hull QED graphite Audioquest Evergreen Describing the sound differences of hi fi interconnects and speaker cables
Sorry, but this is not an optimization, only a roughness adjustment to your hearing. You cannot influence sharper focusing of the instruments or the voice or achieve better precision in the acoustic mapping. All of this, however, can be achieved by a better cable.
I have always followed the concept “do no harm” when it comes to cables. I use Blue Jeans Cables because of consistent build quality, customizable lengths and reasonable prices. I will never go looking for 2-3% cable improvements.
Brilliant chat. I've always been sceptical about this topic - particularly with the crazy expensive stuff. You covered a tricky topic with your usual mix of insight and charm. Keep them coming!
Kelvin, another well informed and entertaining video - thank you! Congratulations on the growth of your channel. That landmark figure of 10,000 subscribers can’t be that far off.
I'm new to this channel and I have to say you are settling many of my thoughts ref how easy it would be to spend money where its not needed. I am loving seeing all the vintage kit that I used to see as a boy at the Heathrow hotel Hifi shows in the 1970s. Keep these videos coming please.
Brave subject Kelvin, I have yet to be convinced myself, but still just reviewing low end separates and speakers. So as I progress up the ladder it may come a little more apparent. Though I do not doubt you at all as you have been spot on with so many other items.
One thing that is a simple fact is that the music that we are listening to is modified electricity. All parts of our systems are components in this. Including the cabling. Components do not only come in metal boxes. The wires connecting them count too As does the quality of the electricity feeding the system. Why is it that people find it so hard to believe that the cables we use make a difference. The better cable co. Have different sounding cables in their offerings. For my rig I found that Nordost works quite well. They are a little pricey so the used market has been a saving grace Using a tube amp as my engine room pairing pairing cables called for a defined and revealing cable , like Nordost's heimdall or red dawn. They have a popular cable called blue heaven. In my system it turned the sound mushy. In another system it might add the softness it needs, perhaps in a SS oriented sharp sounding one. As the man said cables can be a great tweaking/tuning opportunity. The worst thing the wrong cable can do is contribute to listening fatigue. Most of the give away cables are in this category. This is veryry evident in headphone listening. A good head phone cable can make a big difference and reveal the difference in cables. If anyone is still with me I have to say that it has taken many years of experimenting to get it together and I probably am not done. The most important instrument is our ears to find compatibility in all our components. Running a dedicated line from the stereo to the box I found can also show improvments. Cheers, to my friends across the pond, good listening, JACK
you can try convincing yourself and you may succeed but the fact is the cables debate in its current form is artificial. that's why you NEVER see SPLs and numbers on the super expensive cables that are supposed to guarantee the greatest performance :}
One of the first companies (in the US) to "market" high end cables..was "Monster Cable". I purchased quite a few of those interconnects in the late 80's (early 90's). No other company paid much attention to "interconnects". Now its a snake-oil racket. Those early "Monsters" DID make a difference ! Am still using them today. A few years later I purchased their lower-end 12g-"XP" speaker wire for about $1.00/ft. Still using that also. All these "audiophile" cables were a lot cheaper back then. Today..just about any hardware labelled "audiophile" is way overpriced. "Not the most effective use of $$" -- NO SH_T.
100% Agree with everything you said. When I worked at BestBuy as a teen we were always encouraged to sell Warranty plans and interconnects. Cables make a difference but the markup is tremendous
I told the guy at Best Buy no, I didn’t want the “plan.” He said why not!! Because of the price. If I’m buying cheap shit I’m not paying more to insure it. Idiots
Quite honest and straightforward! I wouldn’t advice spending on cables but a fraction of the average value of the components. And sometimes you try new, more expensive cables, and actually they sound worse with your equipment. It can happen. Complex stuff, and greatly diminishing returns when you go up.
I recently had a discussion with a audiophile group. I mentioned a lot of the same things that you did, as I agree with you .when I wrote about cables needing to be compatible with the system and are tweaking/tuning components of the system. They laughed at me! Pictures of lamp cord alternatives. Really dig your video and enjoy your presentation
Hi Kelvin, Great Video. I got my first £7 Tandy interconnect in the early 90s it was ok. But my second a £15 Cambridge Audio cable from my My Stereo amplifier to my VHS player( 1st attempt at Cinema sound 😊) was Amazing over standard cable. Powerful sound, more Bottom end, more Detail. I couldn't believe the Difference!! My Mum didn't share my new found happiness Comeing from my bedroom ' Grant turn it down'..! So I've been using better cables Since. I do Believe..haha 😄! But wouldn't spend silly money inless I was spending a few Grand on Equipment. Keep safe in these times 😷, Cheers Grant 👍
I am aware that the rca type has gage/shielding concerns.. but for speaker wires I use simple all copper 12 or 14 gage. sounds great to my ears, I guess I either got lucky with my system mating well to it, or my ears are not so sensitive. Great video, especially about the speakers that sort of needed cheaper cables. Cheers man !
So glad I’ve found Kelvin’s channel !! Love his honest and considered presentations......a lot of what he says makes sense .....“ murdering pets “ !! LOL ! Tellurium Q all the way ! 😜
i wish i hadn't clicked on this video :} i really enjoyed some of the videos on vintage speaker history. thanks for sharing your knowledge. "Describing the sound differences of hi fi interconnects and speaker cables" using subjective terms is meaningless. +3dB at 300Hz means the same thing for everybody around the planet :}
Hi Kelvin, nice review about cables. Suggestion for your next review: opinions about phase-out of phase sound? It’s surprising how many home stereos are working out of phase. In some circumstances, it may not even be apparent without careful listening by reversing the 220v polarity
I tried VDH 102 and QED 79 in several systems, always the same result, very pleasant sound to my ear, no one will persuade me to pay a cent more for something "better"
When you bought your cables (be it interlinks or speakercables) did you compare them to others?? and if you didnot : what made you decide to buy the ,,van den Huls,, and Qed,s ? When you read a hifi magazine of the seventies(my gereration) cables were not an issue AT ALL -
You have a knack of putting things across. I love your videos, it's funny you say you don't have to have expensive kit but you have ecumalated a he'll of a lot of different cables over your path to perfection. But I love it when you just try switching things around to try better the sound or clarity. Really great a down to earth guy not afraid to say what you think. Be it right or wrong, you are honest in your apinion. A question if you don't mind me asking. I have done a wrong, In regards to buying speakers to big for purposes. I know you will say rule of thumb is measure your playing space and buy accordingly. Well I thought bigger is better . I had Dynaudio emit m10 s great sound for my small room but far to bright.I bought Emit 20s now I have to much base , my amp is a Arcam FMJ A29 with no tone controls. Is there a way I can cut down the base in any way . That's it your typical nutter bigger is better 😱 . I would appreciate any advice thanks Gerald
I'm not even waiting until the video is over before I hit "like" anymore. I just hit like before our host finishes saying, "I review hifi - vintage gear, . . mostly." I'm so confident that I'm going to like Kelvin's latest video that I "liked" this one even though it's about cables, and we know this is probably the most contentious topic of discussion in stereo now.
Great overview...I think of cables as flavouring your system. But having borrowed and tried high end silver, mixed and OFC and cheap standard cables...I found that I like OFC van damme for speakers and belden for interconnects ...so luckily for me it didn't break the bank. But I would have got more expensive cable if I liked their signature.
Hi - have you ever compared the lenght of interconnect cables? I were thinkin a very very short 3£ cable could be as good as a 1 or 2 m 30£ cable. Would getting the pre-amp and sorces/ amp really close together and using the shortest possible cables be a benefit?
Well if the plugs and cable are the same then short like half a metre compare to 1 m short will be better but it’s going to be very minimal the cable itself is a big player
Ok thanks. I have a good old 25 kilo amplyfier, that generates a lot of heat. Due to that, it is placed outside the rack, thus I am using 1,5 to 2 meter connecting cables between the pre amp and the amp. Due to your best knowledge/ feeling would this be a minor tweaking issue, I should not worry to much about?
For me the question is always, if you spend the extra money of cables on a better speaker of amp, does that give you more bang for the buck? Or to put it this way, is a (just) decent cable ever going to be the weakest link?
I bought some used epos 14 and the guy chucked In some solid core Cyrus cable. Wow! Biggest difference I've ever hear Is solid VS stranded. The solid create much more definition, Tighter bass. Strangely I some systems they are a bit bass light but for me I can't go back to stranded. The difference is mind blowing.
From a marketing perspective has anyone ever advocated using different types of wire along a length to a speaker - you could combine all the different copper sonic attributes you desire into one 10 foot piece of wire. There might be something in this - I’m going to collect up all the odd bits I’ve ever trimmed off and make them up into lengths spliced up with plastic block connectors (gold plated and far larger than necessary of course) give them an inspirational name and ask hundreds for them.
Best explanation I think I have heard on the subject of cables...and I have heard many.Unfortunately there are still individuals out there that believe cables make no difference.Being a physical alteration in the sound pipeline,of course differences,desirable or not,will be obvious to a discerning audiophile and even people who don't identify as audiophiles.Physics and resistance...fascinating and arguably frustrating to try and balance correctly.
I agree Paul but is it cost effective to spend silly money on cables as I was looking online at Richer Sounds and there were numerous cables in excess of £400 and I thought RS were a really good discount store! Confused I certainly am! When I read you can buy really gòod interconnect cable for in the region of 40 to 50 pound for a metre to a metre and a half I can only wonder are we being conned? My hi-fi equipment I have built over a good number of years has amounted to in the region of £7000 to £8000 and I have been looking upgrading 3 interconnects which will cost me in the region of £100 to £120 as the interconnects I have are so old and really do need replacing and I have been advisedthat the connects I have chosen will work well in my system ! What are your thoughts on my post ?
Well now I'm convinced to spend twice the cost of my free interconnects! 🙃 Seriously will invest some time investigating and a couple hundred bucks experimenting. Cheap mini hobby
Super stuff. Ask yourself folks where else on youtube on the internet could you see a review that's so free of BS and honest and not governed by commercial bias. Admire Kelvin not trashing the cheaper cable as such and not over hyping the more expensive cable. (pounds American listeners is sterling, monetary value not weight).
Hi Kevin , Thanks for your review. Did you try proffesional cables for speakers and interconnects used in studio or pro like Mogami Canare I ve been using these and they are around $2 to $4 pet foot for speakers and $30 - 40 for inteconnects. I think these are neutral cables no tweaking the signal (no adding or subtracting anything) means tell you how your system really sounds. Please opinions.
I have never heard improvements when changing cables, someone show me some measurements to prove there is an audible difference. The trouble when you start testing audiophile cables You turn from listening to analyzing. The placebo effect soon wears off !!!
I do not believe it either, cables are fake fraud, and a waste of money, get a good one by looking at the kind of cables you are wanting for your system, I know a bit about also, and have not heard any improvements either, save your money,
Hi Kelvin. Love the channel, by the way. The cost of the high end audio gear that I sell and export, including speaker, mains and interconnect cables, can be as much as the purchase price of flats and houses! Cables are probably the most subjective topic in the industry, after all, without them the majority of hifi kit wouldn't even work! When it comes to cost, people say spend around 10-15% of the cost of the system on audio cables. If that ratio were absolutely correct then I'd be telling certain clients to spend the cost of a brand new Rolls Royce or Bentley on them! These kind of high end cables really do follow the law of diminishing returns when it comes to improvements in sound quality and like Kelvin said, it's not necessarily about spending more money, what it comes down to fundamentally is that cables are a final tweak to the over all sound of your equipment with the ability to change sonics and presence in increments that even the most subtle of tone controls can't. This is why they should be treated the same way as purchasing a hifi component as opposed to being an afterthought. Most people don't realise that even different mains cables can make subtle differences to your equipment's overall sound. Try to find a dealer that'll allow you to try different makes and types on loan.
Yes thanks for that now one thing I want to say about tables which I think is behind a lot of the controversy let’s say it’s kind of psychological in that it’s a subject you wish did not exist because there is enough ruminating on and speakers source material whatever When you then adding cables part of me goes oh don’t start I can’t cope . What I mean is a lot of people shun. Cables because it kind of overload the brain. I agree with everything you said. K
@@stereoreviewx K, I understand exactly what you're saying, however the fact remains that cables are significant in their role. I've had clients sigh, "Oh God" at the very mention of them and I've had to give the analogy of them being the arteries of the system and with clean arteries both biological and electrical, things perform better. Again, best of luck with the channel, mate.
Ahhh, the cable debate. For me the question is always this: No matter what cable you use for your speakers, the inside of the speaker always uses very thin wires/cables. How does that make sense?
I have a B Sc in electro engineering, so my comment here use to be erased, say no more ;) Don't calculate, 500 pounds on speaker cable must be fantastic. :)
Try sold core copper ring main wire that is used for home wiring in the house. It's excellent for speaker cable, costs less than anything else. As for interconnect I found Linn black is difficult to beat. You can get it cheap used on Ebay.
@@wjvlodek8769 the type that they use for lighting was what I originally started with, it's about 1 mil I think, I'm currently using the stuff for plug sockets is a bit thicker.
@@wjvlodek8769 the only problem I have with it is that it's a bit stiff going into the back of of the amplifier with the solid core not flexing nearly as much as stranded.
You beat me to it Richard ! Good old twin and earth is well worth trying for very little cost. I've used it in a few systems over the years. Certainly is hard to beat in terms of ' bang for buck' !
I used to have £2k Proac speakers with £1.50 per metre cable being used for the internal wiring straight from the factory. I bought the speakers new and had them 25 years until the foam surrounds deteriorated. When I opened them up to install new foam I was surprised to see Kelvin Audio cable being used for the internals. I knew the owner of Kelvin cable and he was just running cable through a machine that printed Kelvin Audio on the sheathing then he doubled his money. Another guy I know (an Electronic Engineer) told me not to bother spending any more that £30 on interconnects.
Hi Kelvin, very interesting indeed, good video, great feedback too. Just spent an hour reading all the comments and the replies. Think I need some more speaker cables , I bought mine in late 80s, expensive ish at the time , transparent cable ,copper one side and silver coloured the other. Would the age of the cable deteriorate the sound quality ? I have some other speaker cable also Transparent was my Dad's, around the same age, all copper wire but woven or platted but it has some black patches in places along the cable, has it gone off, copper oxidised ? I will upgrade cables as upgrading system, just wondering what you think. Will definitely try some tweeking though. Many thank youz Stu
Well one thing you can try is just cut the cables and expose new engine out just trim 1 cm off your cables Because the copper can definitely oxidise and that really isn’t good
@@stereoreviewx yes thank you, good point, should always expose some new copper. My mate gave me a pair of fat grey Linn speaker cable to try, I can do some tweaking with them.
Hi Kelvin, well done on heading into this minefield and as usual your plain speaking approach is great. My system is on the forward side, so I took the decision to go the super high purity copper route using Mogami cables, replacing my silver cables. I make my own interconnects too and they're better than the £120 Chords I had previously. I'll send you a pair if you like 😉. Cheers, Mark
@@stereoreviewx Hi Kelvin, I can’t find your email on the homepage. Probably not allowed. I’m on eBay so you can send me a message on there if you like. It’s my surname, all lowercase followed by 4539. Cheers, Mark
Hi there once again, I think you come from a similar mindset to me. However I would be greatly interested to see what you think the JBL LS305 studio active monitor sounds like. They only cost £99 each speaker and they are active bi amped speakers, you just need to plug in a source or preamp. Personally I think they sound like a warm 70s style speaker, they are very, very pleasing on the ear. Perhaps something you could look at in the future. Keep up the channel, it’s a breath of fresh air, totally honest and sincere. I’d love a pint in the boozer with you, we could talk for hours! 😂🥁🎹🎷
Cheers Kelvin. Cables, what a can of worms! Of course they make a difference. Anyone that’s played around with kit knows this. Regarding interconnects, the path between the source (turntable/cd/streamer) and the pre amp always makes the biggest impact, as you discovered that is where to put the best that you have. Cheers
I’ve got an idea for an experiment, I know that it’s probably impossible to set up or reproduce, lots of variables that I haven’t even considered. I’d like to have your thoughts about it. Hi end audio system are incredibly expensive, so if it was possible to achieve, how would a high end system compare, to an orchestra performing a classical work live? Some problems are , the venue, obviously an orchestra would need the space to perform, would this disadvantage the high end system? What music should be chosen? What would be the medium for the reproduction, vinyl, tape, cd etc ? Look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Yes this will be quite a huge production costs I can imagine. I mean if you think of a grand piano playing live the best you can hope for from a home hi-fi is accuracy but that it will be miniaturised or just smaller K
A friend showed me the difference some years ago by replacing my simple interconnects. I like van den Huul. And I got some others that are good too. I guess I could get some of my cables replaced. But I think I'm good.
For me, its pretty simple. For Analogue signal cables just use a reasonable quality OFC gold plated interconnect. And use as short as possible leads. No point using a 5 meter link cable if the 2 units are next to each other. And for speaker cables, i use 8 or 4AWG OFC high core count speaker cable. You would be hard pressed to tell the difference between that at a £100 speaker cable.
@@stereoreviewx I think cable manufacturers try to justify you or I spending stupid money on cables as it in their interest to do so! I just use those things on the side of my head to hear a difference! I've listened to expensive and less expensive cables on the same equipment at hi-fi shows down the years and always I ask for a blind listening test and the difference is so minimal that I am unwilling to pay silly money so I will spend in the region of £100 to £120 for 3 new 1 mtr interconnects!
I think power amp to pre-amp is more sensitive to cables than source to pre-amp. I had some Oehlbach NF14's that sounded just terrible (Bright analytical, not musical) going into the au-317 power amp (Adcom gpt-500 preamp) and sounded very good (delicate refined and musical) from a cd-player into a preamp. It matters where you use a cable. I put a Cordial cable (12 euro on Amazon but very well made) there instead and it sounded fine. No specific character. Transparant.
You are one of those who either hasn't tried or just lacks the ability to hear differences.Granted some are small but there are some instances where differences can be huge...
@@spandel100 ....said the clairvoyant 😁 Seriously, I am poking fun a bit, I can hear differences in speakers etc, but I have to admit I haven't sat down with cables testing as I would speakers. I think just a decent priced sheilded cable speaker or interconnects will suffice and just spend the rest on decent quality source and speakers I'm not an electronics expert but I find it difficult to see how a cable delivering voltage/current would have a significant effect on the sound produced, bearing in mind however good the conect or cable the current still has to go through the amp and speakers which to my mind would play the biggest part. Pointless sticking a 4K TV signal through a standard non 4k TV. Better spending on a 4k TV first to do the source signal justice. Any benefits a cable would produce would be negligible and probably inaudible anyway and you would have to have a very, very high end critical system to even contemplate it. I mean some of the prices can be thousands for a few meters of 99.999999 silver plated ofc cryogenically frozen with bells on cable. Crazy!! I know people can hear differences, I do with speakers, yet our eyes and ears often do deceive us, even if it is all real, our ears make compensations and probably explains why we hear differences much more with new speakers etc until our own hearing beds in and then the next new item our ears go 'hmm not heard that before' 🤔 then adjust accordingly until the new pair of speakers/cable etc. At the end of the day, I think like ghosts or god etc, if you believe you hear something you probably do and good on you but how much is placebo and how much is our own hearing in relation to the cable sonic abilities is all subjective I guess. Interesting stuff indeed and always open to being convinced otherwise of my views. P.s I know I should compare cables before I shoot my mouth off 😅
@@deydododontdedoh.5672 I hear you,that being said I had a Marantz 67se cd player which was a little over zealous in the treble.After fitting solid copper core Audioquest cable interconnects and speaker cables,all the frequencies evened out.The sound became smooth and detailed with a touch of warmth.Now when it comes to very expensive silver cables and such,you let through the electronic noise,you can hear the workings of the equipment.This to me is not desirable and comes across as a "frying steak"effect.Too much high frequency detail.Go well.
@@spandel100 certainly interesting. 🤔 Sometimes I think hi-fi can be a mix of science and religion, as long as we each reach our own Nirvana by whatever means is all that matters in the end. 😊 I may one day try out some different cables to see if I notice anything, call me an open minded sceptic 😁
What you didn't mention was the length of cable and does it make any difference,ie; the signal has farther to go.I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts on this.
Yeah good point shorter is better in fact The Altima I would say is the cat the plugs off and sold it onto the circuit board which I have done in the past is a definite win win Cheers K
Null test on cables gives the answer I am lucky I can't tell the difference not that I don't use quality cables. Room acoustics make a lot off difference.
You should have got 1000 likes, null test prove everything. I use the cheap cable that came with my Quad CDP, but what do quad know about sound quality!
Furukawa speaker cables - often used with entry level Naim amps from the late 1970s because Furukawas doesn't send the Naim into bursts of oscillation.
@@stereoreviewx It's when a fixed width gap is made between positive and negative cables... much like the old nordost or new Van Damme cables. Great video, thanks!
I'm still very sceptical. Where's the science? Issues like skin effect apply to RF signals at MHz or GHz frequencies, not 20kHz. Interconnect cables are carrying tiny currents over very short distances, especially compared to what goes on in a studio. I reckon I've got a good ear but have never heard the difference between cables.
I'm a firm believer in cables from different companies having their own sound. I'm a big fan of the Van Damme blue series speaker cables, they just sound right to me, but when i tried some Atlas speaker cables, they were muted by comparison. That was my wake-up moment with cables, which really made me question the differences. Not that more expensive is better, but just different cables can affect the sound, so it's opened a real can of worms for me.
I'm a firm non believer in cable, biggest con in audio ! Audiophile network switches are another. It's amazing what the human mind will convince you, well for a short while.
There has been blind test with same atc compact speakers, and a cheap system ,cheap cables cheap sony cd, cheap behringer poweramp, and system2 very expensif high end cables, teac vrds cd, yba poweramp preamp ....well most couldn't hear difference, some preferred cheap system ,some expensif....it proved one could not hear it, you can find this test on the net
I think it would be possible to prefer the cheap cables one day when I’ve got some one to help me I might just try a proper blind test in various areas speakers cables et cetera
What I always say when I am asked about expensive cables is: people always better put the money into the speakers! Since he's no longer satisfied (?), Sell the speakers and buy something new (better).
I’m not sure that spending money on expensive cables is going to give you much improvement on your sound quality. You would be better off spending money on upgrading your speakers, amplifier, turntable, phono cartridge. Spending large amounts of money on cables would probably be of benefit when you have a high end system.
@@stevenclarke5606 Sorry, but I disagree with that. Even if you have a high-end system and are considering upgrading it with exorbitantly expensive cables, it is much less effective than if you go over and z. B. take a look at the switches of your exorbitantly expensive loudspeakers ... unfortunately many well-known manufacturers still use, for example, sinks with iron cores or ceramic resistors or other junk or swap the bell wire internal wiring of your loudspeakers against "van" for me the Hull "1qmm cable (not too expensive). You can carry out the same procedure with your amplifier while you are at it ... and then ... but only then (!) Can we take a look at the cabling between the devices ... but only if your speakers are over 20k lie ...
if you're looking for a sensible approach, use this: use good connectors and wires w/ less than 10% resistance of your speakers' impedance. same w/ interconnects considering the input impedance of the device. use wire gauge and wire length to achieve the desired resistance. anything else is make-belief... ====================================================================================== if you're interested in a little more theory: most audio transducers are less than 10% efficient (100dB sensitivity means only 6% efficiency). more than 90% of the power is wasted (99% in case of a 92dB sens. transducer) depending on the frequency, most trained listeners can only detect a min of 1-2dB change in sound intensity. (search "Blind Testing a 1 dB Level Difference" for self-testing purposes) conclusions: for a cable to produce a 1dB change at a given frequency the transducer needs to receive 25% more or less 'power' of that fq... that's not possible w/ two wires of same resistance regardless of real world capacitance and inductance... p= i^2 x r p= v^2 / r fun fact: the wavelength of an audio-frequency signal traveling down a cable as an alternating voltage can be anything from 15000km at 20Hz to about 15km at 20kHz.
I just upgraded my cables from very old red/white variety I had collected over the years, to slightly more expensive double shielded black ones with red an blue rings on them. Can't say I heard a difference (except from the ones that were clearly defective and that's why I changed them in the first place). So I did a little test. Precious Things by Tori Amos. I must say with the shielded cable it sounded a lot less chaotic and tighter, but I think I liked the voice better with the cheap red/white cable. It had more pertinence. I think it was a little closed in with the shielded cable.
I have been using Exposure Cables for 30yrs now.. they did cost me a arm & a leg back then but I must say that I would never change them for something more expencive because as I've got older I now find at 73yrs old that my hearing is not as good as it was back then but they are still doing the job for me.. but love listening to all what you talk about Kalvin.. keep it up man.
Great vid! Snake oil? Not entirely. Every cable is an RC network (resistance, capacity) in conjunction with output and input impedance and capacity of the connected equipment! So a cable might work perfectly fine between 2 pieces of equipment, while it’s not so great on another set. Why: RC networks are filters, that also introduces phase distortions: sines of different frequencies don’t come out with the same alignment as they went in, and a certain roll off of high frequencies is also part of the deal. Facts, just read the electronic design books. Phase distortions: muddy bass (but not less), high freq roll off: less detail, warmer, ... These effects get stronger with higher RC values, and that’s linear with cable length. Short cable: not so much difference, long cable: a world of difference. I do use good cables, short interconnects in the £30-50 range. That usually makes sense, and doesn’t break the bank. Those several £100’s cables are insane, but an opera ticket or buy better equipment.
Hi Kelvin. Just stumbled across your channel I wouldn't say I was mega into hi-fi equipment at present but find the discussions interesting. Sadly as with a lot of things it has a lot to do with one upmanship and very little to do with anything that can be proven. Offcourse if you pay £1000 for a set of cables that where sold to you by 'X' you would feel foolish to admit they might be poo. Just remember all that glitters isn't gold no matter how many bows it has attached.
@@richardjohnston4682 absolutely agree, I think this is the most overlooked audio product on the market. You don’t hear much about it but it’s great. Best part is that it’s very affordable, around 12 quid per meter. My speaker builder confirmed it’s fantastic quality.
The living room also has an influence, for example I have plaster walls and that sound different from stone walls. Also whether you have flooring or a wooden floor, whether you have curtains etc. When I buy new speakers I take my amplifier with me to listen and then another 4 weeks to listen in my own environment. I used google translate.
I once heard spend 1000s on cables and worry not about your components.... I thought that outrageous at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised the validity of that statement. My choice is Atlas cables costing £200 and up... I would not recommend silver in a cable because it' gives too much brightness and sparkle, but stick with copper only... which gives you a warmer full bodied sound. My VanDen Hull cable has good transparency and airy treble... a light sound, and it does have a little silver in it. I liked your idea of moving cables around and experimenting a little..
As long as you're using a cable with adequate gauge related to its length and a properly terminated one, they don't make any difference. The only difference people hear is their brains and their empty wallets.
Tricky subject indeed. The difference is not night and day. It is synergy between the cables and the gear. It's like making soup. You need to know how each ingredient affects the taste of the soup. You need to know how each cable and interconnect affects the sound. You should not buy at random or base your decision entirely on reviews although the latter would give you an idea.
Nonsense it's wire. make your own, use 12 - 14 ga. With no more than 3-4 ft. Extra wire, if you use solid core your going to physically damage the back of your amp. Or speaker connectors
I agree with qed, it really has a better bass/oomph.. the only thing I ddnt like in it is, it makes my system a little bit shouty..but Im still using it sometimes.
Wrong the differences are huge but it depends how electrically clean your listening room is, cables add nothing, however they stop electrical interference. After auditioning many different cables (including power) The impact of changing my whole cabling loom to Transparent Reference the difference was and is staggering. If your spending £16k on a CD player, £16k on a phono stage and £64k on each mono block it is a false economy to use what is effectively bell wire. You have to match the cables with the amplification and speakers.
Yes, I agree. The fact I have a nine channel high-performance Dolby Atmos setup, the RF background signal noise (noise floor) was so apparent it got to the stage that I didn't even want to switch it on. Years later nearly all of my cables are now shielded and now I look forward to switching it on 😊
When I got enough money to "comfortably start" on my hi fi journey back in 1991, I've noticed that those RCA plug terminated RG-58 rf cables for video signals sound much, much better than the freebie interconnects that came with those CD players in the 350 to 500 quid price range. Things got more complicated after I won those 350 quid Monster Cable interconnects from a radio contest in 1993 plus free van Den Hull speaker cables in 1994. A kind of embarassment of riches situation for me back then that got me spoilt and snooty when it comes to budget allocation in the cable front.
It's amazing how much common sense comes forth when the person speaking isn't selling anything! Great job...Thanks!
Remember the days When the base and Treble control were used for tweaking the sound of your system 😂
Sorry, but this is not an optimization, only a roughness adjustment to your hearing. You cannot influence sharper focusing of the instruments or the voice or achieve better precision in the acoustic mapping. All of this, however, can be achieved by a better cable.
@@FDKAUSW Best way influence the sound , is room acoustics treatment .
@@johnolson4977 or matching your source,amp and speakers
Yeah we thought that was normal on an amp then realised you dont need them
Yeah but cable is more profitable for the industry
I have always followed the concept “do no harm” when it comes to cables. I use Blue Jeans Cables because of consistent build quality, customizable lengths and reasonable prices. I will never go looking for 2-3% cable improvements.
Brilliant chat. I've always been sceptical about this topic - particularly with the crazy expensive stuff. You covered a tricky topic with your usual mix of insight and charm. Keep them coming!
Exactly ,Iv'e just seen some interconnect cable for sale at Richer sounds for in excess of £400, jeez what exactly are you getting for your money?
Kelvin, another well informed and entertaining video - thank you! Congratulations on the growth of your channel. That landmark figure of 10,000 subscribers can’t be that far off.
Thanks Richard yeah 10,000 not far away hopefully CZcams will see me differently after that cheers K
I'm new to this channel and I have to say you are settling many of my thoughts ref how easy it would be to spend money where its not needed. I am loving seeing all the vintage kit that I used to see as a boy at the Heathrow hotel Hifi shows in the 1970s. Keep these videos coming please.
Brave subject Kelvin, I have yet to be convinced myself, but still just reviewing low end separates and speakers. So as I progress up the ladder it may come a little more apparent. Though I do not doubt you at all as you have been spot on with so many other items.
One thing that is a simple fact is that the music that we are listening to is modified electricity. All parts of our systems are components in this. Including the cabling. Components do not only come in metal boxes. The wires connecting them count too
As does the quality of the electricity feeding the system. Why is it that people find it so hard to believe that the cables we use make a difference. The better cable co. Have different sounding cables in their offerings. For my rig I found that Nordost works quite well. They are a little pricey so the used market has been a saving grace
Using a tube amp as my engine room pairing pairing cables called for a defined and revealing cable , like Nordost's heimdall or red dawn. They have a popular cable called blue heaven. In my system it turned the sound mushy. In another system it might add the softness it needs, perhaps in a SS oriented sharp sounding one. As the man said cables can be a great tweaking/tuning opportunity. The worst thing the wrong cable can do is contribute to listening fatigue. Most of the give away cables are in this category. This is veryry evident in headphone listening. A good head phone cable can make a big difference and reveal the difference in cables. If anyone is still with me I have to say that it has taken many years of experimenting to get it together and I probably am not done. The most important instrument is our ears to find compatibility in all our components. Running a dedicated line from the stereo to the box I found can also show improvments. Cheers, to my friends across the pond, good listening, JACK
you can try convincing yourself and you may succeed but the fact is the cables debate in its current form is artificial.
that's why you NEVER see SPLs and numbers on the super expensive cables that are supposed to guarantee the greatest performance :}
Such good advice. Tweaking is the key, not necessarily spending more, especially as everyone's ears are different. Lovely video!
One of the first companies (in the US) to "market" high end cables..was "Monster Cable". I purchased quite a few of those interconnects in the late 80's (early 90's). No other company paid much attention to "interconnects". Now its a snake-oil racket. Those early "Monsters" DID make a difference ! Am still using them today. A few years later I purchased their lower-end 12g-"XP" speaker wire for about $1.00/ft. Still using that also. All these "audiophile" cables were a lot cheaper back then. Today..just about any hardware labelled "audiophile" is way overpriced. "Not the most effective use of $$" -- NO SH_T.
A great take on a difficult subject Kelvin. Thanks for the tips. 👍
100% Agree with everything you said.
When I worked at BestBuy as a teen we were always encouraged to sell Warranty plans and interconnects.
Cables make a difference but the markup is tremendous
I told the guy at Best Buy no, I didn’t want the “plan.” He said why not!! Because of the price. If I’m buying cheap shit I’m not paying more to insure it. Idiots
Watch this for the second time now. Unusually sensible reflections on one of the hottest hifi topics of our time.
Quite honest and straightforward! I wouldn’t advice spending on cables but a fraction of the average value of the components. And sometimes you try new, more expensive cables, and actually they sound worse with your equipment. It can happen. Complex stuff, and greatly diminishing returns when you go up.
Very well explained...it depends on synergy but also quality...and they have to fit to your personal components
I recently had a discussion with a audiophile group. I mentioned a lot of the same things that you did, as I agree with you .when I wrote about cables needing to be compatible with the system and are tweaking/tuning components of the system. They laughed at me! Pictures of lamp cord alternatives. Really dig your video and enjoy your presentation
Hi Kelvin, Great Video. I got my first £7 Tandy interconnect in the early 90s it was ok. But my second a £15 Cambridge Audio cable from my My Stereo amplifier to my VHS player( 1st attempt at Cinema sound 😊) was Amazing over standard cable. Powerful sound, more Bottom end, more Detail. I couldn't believe the Difference!! My Mum didn't share my new found happiness Comeing from my bedroom ' Grant turn it down'..! So I've been using better cables Since. I do Believe..haha 😄! But wouldn't spend silly money inless I was spending a few Grand on Equipment. Keep safe in these times 😷, Cheers Grant 👍
Thanks, you made a troublesome topic clearer.
I am aware that the rca type has gage/shielding concerns.. but for speaker wires I use simple all copper 12 or 14 gage. sounds great to my ears, I guess I either got lucky with my system mating well to it, or my ears are not so sensitive. Great video, especially about the speakers that sort of needed cheaper cables. Cheers man !
So glad I’ve found Kelvin’s channel !!
Love his honest and considered presentations......a lot of what he says makes sense .....“ murdering pets “ !! LOL ! Tellurium Q all the way ! 😜
@Hans Hansen 👍
i wish i hadn't clicked on this video :}
i really enjoyed some of the videos on vintage speaker history. thanks for sharing your knowledge.
"Describing the sound differences of hi fi interconnects and speaker cables" using subjective terms is meaningless.
+3dB at 300Hz means the same thing for everybody around the planet :}
Hi Kelvin, nice review about cables. Suggestion for your next review: opinions about phase-out of phase sound? It’s surprising how many home stereos are working out of phase. In some circumstances, it may not even be apparent without careful listening by reversing the 220v polarity
I tried VDH 102 and QED 79 in several systems, always the same result, very pleasant sound to my ear, no one will persuade me to pay a cent more for something "better"
When you bought your cables (be it interlinks or speakercables) did you compare them to
others?? and if you didnot : what made you decide to buy the ,,van den Huls,, and Qed,s ?
When you read a hifi magazine of the seventies(my gereration) cables were not an issue AT ALL -
I don’t know where half of my cables ever came from they seem to accumulate like tumbleweed
You have a knack of putting things across. I love your videos, it's funny you say you don't have to have expensive kit but you have ecumalated a he'll of a lot of different cables over your path to perfection. But I love it when you just try switching things around to try better the sound or clarity. Really great a down to earth guy not afraid to say what you think. Be it right or wrong, you are honest in your apinion. A question if you don't mind me asking. I have done a wrong, In regards to buying speakers to big for purposes. I know you will say rule of thumb is measure your playing space and buy accordingly. Well I thought bigger is better . I had Dynaudio emit m10 s great sound for my small room but far to bright.I bought Emit 20s now I have to much base , my amp is a Arcam FMJ A29 with no tone controls. Is there a way I can cut down the base in any way . That's it your typical nutter bigger is better 😱 . I would appreciate any advice thanks Gerald
I'm not even waiting until the video is over before I hit "like" anymore. I just hit like before our host finishes saying, "I review hifi - vintage gear, . . mostly." I'm so confident that I'm going to like Kelvin's latest video that I "liked" this one even though it's about cables, and we know this is probably the most contentious topic of discussion in stereo now.
Tricky subject indeed, but you laid out the straight goods.
Great overview...I think of cables as flavouring your system. But having borrowed and tried high end silver, mixed and OFC and cheap standard cables...I found that I like OFC van damme for speakers and belden for interconnects ...so luckily for me it didn't break the bank. But I would have got more expensive cable if I liked their signature.
Thanks for the info K
Van Damme LFOFC is amazing bang for the buck:)
Hi - have you ever compared the lenght of interconnect cables? I were thinkin a very very short 3£ cable could be as good as a 1 or 2 m 30£ cable. Would getting the pre-amp and sorces/ amp really close together and using the shortest possible cables be a benefit?
Well if the plugs and cable are the same then short like half a metre compare to 1 m short will be better but it’s going to be very minimal the cable itself is a big player
Ok thanks. I have a good old 25 kilo amplyfier, that generates a lot of heat. Due to that, it is placed outside the rack, thus I am using 1,5 to 2 meter connecting cables between the pre amp and the amp. Due to your best knowledge/ feeling would this be a minor tweaking issue, I should not worry to much about?
For me the question is always, if you spend the extra money of cables on a better speaker of amp, does that give you more bang for the buck? Or to put it this way, is a (just) decent cable ever going to be the weakest link?
I bought some used epos 14 and the guy chucked In some solid core Cyrus cable. Wow! Biggest difference I've ever hear Is solid VS stranded. The solid create much more definition, Tighter bass. Strangely I some systems they are a bit bass light but for me I can't go back to stranded. The difference is mind blowing.
From a marketing perspective has anyone ever advocated using different types of wire along a length to a speaker - you could combine all the different copper sonic attributes you desire into one 10 foot piece of wire. There might be something in this - I’m going to collect up all the odd bits I’ve ever trimmed off and make them up into lengths spliced up with plastic block connectors (gold plated and far larger than necessary of course) give them an inspirational name and ask hundreds for them.
Cracking advice Kelvin
Best explanation I think I have heard on the subject of cables...and I have heard many.Unfortunately there are still individuals out there that believe cables make no difference.Being a physical alteration in the sound pipeline,of course differences,desirable or not,will be obvious to a discerning audiophile and even people who don't identify as audiophiles.Physics and resistance...fascinating and arguably frustrating to try and balance correctly.
I agree Paul but is it cost effective to spend silly money on cables as I was looking online at Richer Sounds and there were numerous cables in excess of £400 and I thought RS were a really good discount store! Confused I certainly am! When I read you can buy really gòod interconnect cable for in the region of 40 to 50 pound for a metre to a metre and a half I can only wonder are we being conned? My hi-fi equipment I have built over a good number of years has amounted to in the region of £7000 to £8000 and I have been looking upgrading 3 interconnects which will cost me in the region of £100 to £120 as the interconnects I have are so old and really do need replacing and I have been advisedthat the connects I have chosen will work well in my system ! What are your thoughts on my post ?
Well now I'm convinced to spend twice the cost of my free interconnects! 🙃
Seriously will invest some time investigating and a couple hundred bucks experimenting. Cheap mini hobby
Super stuff. Ask yourself folks where else on youtube on the internet could you see a review that's so free of BS and honest and not governed by commercial bias. Admire Kelvin not trashing the cheaper cable as such and not over hyping the more expensive cable.
(pounds American listeners is sterling, monetary value not weight).
Hi Kevin , Thanks for your review.
Did you try proffesional cables for speakers and interconnects used in studio or pro like Mogami Canare I ve been using these and they are around $2 to $4 pet foot for speakers and $30 - 40 for inteconnects.
I think these are neutral cables no tweaking the signal (no adding or subtracting anything) means tell you how your system really sounds. Please opinions.
Well I’ll definitely try them I like the idea of the studio equipment because they’re not going to be as gullible as the public I guess thanks K
I have never heard improvements when changing cables, someone show me some measurements to prove there is an audible difference. The trouble when you start testing audiophile cables You turn from listening to analyzing. The placebo effect soon wears off !!!
I do not believe it either, cables are fake fraud, and a waste of money, get a good one by looking at the kind of cables you are wanting for your system, I know a bit about also, and have not heard any improvements either, save your money,
You can't measure clarity.
show me measurements of sound stage or weight in bass.
@@Bob.martens you can measure anything
Hi Kelvin. Love the channel, by the way. The cost of the high end audio gear that I sell and export, including speaker, mains and interconnect cables, can be as much as the purchase price of flats and houses! Cables are probably the most subjective topic in the industry, after all, without them the majority of hifi kit wouldn't even work! When it comes to cost, people say spend around 10-15% of the cost of the system on audio cables. If that ratio were absolutely correct then I'd be telling certain clients to spend the cost of a brand new Rolls Royce or Bentley on them! These kind of high end cables really do follow the law of diminishing returns when it comes to improvements in sound quality and like Kelvin said, it's not necessarily about spending more money, what it comes down to fundamentally is that cables are a final tweak to the over all sound of your equipment with the ability to change sonics and presence in increments that even the most subtle of tone controls can't. This is why they should be treated the same way as purchasing a hifi component as opposed to being an afterthought. Most people don't realise that even different mains cables can make subtle differences to your equipment's overall sound. Try to find a dealer that'll allow you to try different makes and types on loan.
Yes thanks for that now one thing I want to say about tables which I think is behind a lot of the controversy let’s say it’s kind of psychological in that it’s a subject you wish did not exist because there is enough ruminating on and speakers source material whatever
When you then adding cables part of me goes oh don’t start I can’t cope .
What I mean is a lot of people shun. Cables because it kind of overload the brain.
I agree with everything you said.
K
@@stereoreviewx K, I understand exactly what you're saying, however the fact remains that cables are significant in their role. I've had clients sigh, "Oh God" at the very mention of them and I've had to give the analogy of them being the arteries of the system and with clean arteries both biological and electrical, things perform better.
Again, best of luck with the channel, mate.
Ahhh, the cable debate. For me the question is always this: No matter what cable you use for your speakers, the inside of the speaker always uses very thin wires/cables. How does that make sense?
Two bads don't make a good...
Thin wires over a short distance = Thick wire over long distance
I have a B Sc in electro engineering, so my comment here use to be erased, say no more ;)
Don't calculate, 500 pounds on speaker cable must be fantastic. :)
@@CraftAero We are talking over 20-30 meters!
@@peterbrady1536 Yes, and the OP is comparing that to ~100mm of internal speaker wiring.
Try sold core copper ring main wire that is used for home wiring in the house. It's excellent for speaker cable, costs less than anything else. As for interconnect I found Linn black is difficult to beat. You can get it cheap used on Ebay.
what gage? THANKS!!
@@wjvlodek8769 the type that they use for lighting was what I originally started with, it's about 1 mil I think, I'm currently using the stuff for plug sockets is a bit thicker.
@@MrRichymil I think that is 12 gage (12 AWG)...but I am not an electrician...THANKS!!
@@wjvlodek8769 the only problem I have with it is that it's a bit stiff going into the back of of the amplifier with the solid core not flexing nearly as much as stranded.
You beat me to it Richard ! Good old twin and earth is well worth trying for very little cost. I've used it in a few systems over the years. Certainly is hard to beat in terms of ' bang for buck' !
I used to have £2k Proac speakers with £1.50 per metre cable being used for the internal wiring straight from the factory. I bought the speakers new and had them 25 years until the foam surrounds deteriorated. When I opened them up to install new foam I was surprised to see Kelvin Audio cable being used for the internals. I knew the owner of Kelvin cable and he was just running cable through a machine that printed Kelvin Audio on the sheathing then he doubled his money. Another guy I know (an Electronic Engineer) told me not to bother spending any more that £30 on interconnects.
So you had poor advice? 🤡
Hi Kelvin, very interesting indeed, good video, great feedback too. Just spent an hour reading all the comments and the replies. Think I need some more speaker cables , I bought mine in late 80s, expensive ish at the time , transparent cable ,copper one side and silver coloured the other. Would the age of the cable deteriorate the sound quality ? I have some other speaker cable also Transparent was my Dad's, around the same age, all copper wire but woven or platted but it has some black patches in places along the cable, has it gone off, copper oxidised ? I will upgrade cables as upgrading system, just wondering what you think. Will definitely try some tweeking though.
Many thank youz
Stu
Well one thing you can try is just cut the cables and expose new engine out just trim 1 cm off your cables
Because the copper can definitely oxidise and that really isn’t good
@@stereoreviewx yes thank you, good point, should always expose some new copper.
My mate gave me a pair of fat grey Linn speaker cable to try, I can do some tweaking with them.
I’m buying speaker cables. I have the cheap wire from Amazon with no ends on them. I think it makes a difference because of the thickness at least.
Hi Kelvin, well done on heading into this minefield and as usual your plain speaking approach is great. My system is on the forward side, so I took the decision to go the super high purity copper route using Mogami cables, replacing my silver cables. I make my own interconnects too and they're better than the £120 Chords I had previously. I'll send you a pair if you like 😉. Cheers, Mark
Hi Mark I would be interested to try your cables you could email me on the homepage my email should be there be interesting cheers mate
@@stereoreviewx Hi Kelvin, I can’t find your email on the homepage. Probably not allowed. I’m on eBay so you can send me a message on there if you like. It’s my surname, all lowercase followed by 4539. Cheers, Mark
Hi there once again, I think you come from a similar mindset to me. However I would be greatly interested to see what you think the JBL LS305 studio active monitor sounds like. They only cost £99 each speaker and they are active bi amped speakers, you just need to plug in a source or preamp. Personally I think they sound like a warm 70s style speaker, they are very, very pleasing on the ear. Perhaps something you could look at in the future. Keep up the channel, it’s a breath of fresh air, totally honest and sincere. I’d love a pint in the boozer with you, we could talk for hours! 😂🥁🎹🎷
Cheers Kelvin.
Cables, what a can of worms!
Of course they make a difference. Anyone that’s played around with kit knows this.
Regarding interconnects, the path between the source (turntable/cd/streamer) and the pre amp always makes the biggest impact, as you discovered that is where to put the best that you have.
Cheers
Just imagine if every high-end amplifier had a treble, middle, and bass eq...
I’ve got an idea for an experiment, I know that it’s probably impossible to set up or reproduce, lots of variables that I haven’t even considered. I’d like to have your thoughts about it.
Hi end audio system are incredibly expensive, so if it was possible to achieve, how would a high end system compare, to an orchestra performing a classical work live?
Some problems are , the venue, obviously an orchestra would need the space to perform, would this disadvantage the high end system?
What music should be chosen? What would be the medium for the reproduction, vinyl, tape, cd etc ?
Look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Yes this will be quite a huge production costs I can imagine.
I mean if you think of a grand piano playing live the best you can hope for from a home hi-fi is accuracy but that it will be miniaturised or just smaller
K
A friend showed me the difference some years ago by replacing my simple interconnects. I like van den Huul. And I got some others that are good too.
I guess I could get some of my cables replaced. But I think I'm good.
Is silver speaker cables better than copper???
For me, its pretty simple. For Analogue signal cables just use a reasonable quality OFC gold plated interconnect. And use as short as possible leads. No point using a 5 meter link cable if the 2 units are next to each other. And for speaker cables, i use 8 or 4AWG OFC high core count speaker cable. You would be hard pressed to tell the difference between that at a £100 speaker cable.
I would love to get my hands on a £700 interconnects just to hear it I mean I can’t do that much Canet it’s only a cable
@@stereoreviewx I think cable manufacturers try to justify you or I spending stupid money on cables as it in their interest to do so! I just use those things on the side of my head to hear a difference! I've listened to expensive and less expensive cables on the same equipment at hi-fi shows down the years and always I ask for a blind listening test and the difference is so minimal that I am unwilling to pay silly money so I will spend in the region of £100 to £120 for 3 new 1 mtr interconnects!
I think power amp to pre-amp is more sensitive to cables than source to pre-amp. I had some Oehlbach NF14's that sounded just terrible (Bright analytical, not musical) going into the au-317 power amp (Adcom gpt-500 preamp) and sounded very good (delicate refined and musical) from a cd-player into a preamp. It matters where you use a cable. I put a Cordial cable (12 euro on Amazon but very well made) there instead and it sounded fine. No specific character. Transparant.
Exactly right just what I think too
Snake oil. 😎
Some people also swear blind they see ghosts. 😂
You are one of those who either hasn't tried or just lacks the ability to hear differences.Granted some are small but there are some instances where differences can be huge...
@@spandel100 ....said the clairvoyant 😁
Seriously, I am poking fun a bit, I can hear differences in speakers etc, but I have to admit I haven't sat down with cables testing as I would speakers.
I think just a decent priced sheilded cable speaker or interconnects will suffice and just spend the rest on decent quality source and speakers
I'm not an electronics expert but I find it difficult to see how a cable delivering voltage/current would have a significant effect on the sound produced, bearing in mind however good the conect or cable the current still has to go through the amp and speakers which to my mind would play the biggest part.
Pointless sticking a 4K TV signal through a standard non 4k TV.
Better spending on a 4k TV first to do the source signal justice.
Any benefits a cable would produce would be negligible and probably inaudible anyway and you would have to have a very, very high end critical system to even contemplate it.
I mean some of the prices can be thousands for a few meters of 99.999999 silver plated ofc cryogenically frozen with bells on cable. Crazy!!
I know people can hear differences, I do with speakers, yet our eyes and ears often do deceive us, even if it is all real, our ears make compensations and probably explains why we hear differences much more with new speakers etc until our own hearing beds in and then the next new item our ears go 'hmm not heard that before' 🤔 then adjust accordingly until the new pair of speakers/cable etc.
At the end of the day, I think like ghosts or god etc, if you believe you hear something you probably do and good on you but how much is placebo and how much is our own hearing in relation to the cable sonic abilities is all subjective I guess.
Interesting stuff indeed and always open to being convinced otherwise of my views.
P.s I know I should compare cables before I shoot my mouth off 😅
@@deydododontdedoh.5672 I hear you,that being said I had a Marantz 67se cd player which was a little over zealous in the treble.After fitting solid copper core Audioquest cable interconnects and speaker cables,all the frequencies evened out.The sound became smooth and detailed with a touch of warmth.Now when it comes to very expensive silver cables and such,you let through the electronic noise,you can hear the workings of the equipment.This to me is not desirable and comes across as a "frying steak"effect.Too much high frequency detail.Go well.
@@spandel100 certainly interesting. 🤔
Sometimes I think hi-fi can be a mix of science and religion, as long as we each reach our own Nirvana by whatever means is all that matters in the end. 😊
I may one day try out some different cables to see if I notice anything, call me an open minded sceptic 😁
Some people even think gods exist, so why not magic cables? Just as silly. People make big money on both.
What you didn't mention was the length of cable and does it make any difference,ie; the signal has farther to go.I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts on this.
Yeah good point shorter is better in fact The Altima I would say is the cat the plugs off and sold it onto the circuit board which I have done in the past is a definite win win
Cheers K
Solid interconnects and speaker cables do matter,but in my experience you can find good quality for very low prices.
I wouldn’t argue
At a certain point your paying gold prices for copper.
@@jdavis234 Absolutly.
Null test on cables gives the answer I am lucky I can't tell the difference not that I don't use quality cables. Room acoustics make a lot off difference.
You should have got 1000 likes, null test prove everything. I use the cheap cable that came with my Quad CDP,
but what do quad know about sound quality!
Hi, great vid as allways! Cant find those ”Fukawa” kables, its that the name or do i spell it wrong?
Furukawa I think www.hifishark.com/search?q=furukawa
Furukawa speaker cables - often used with entry level Naim amps from the late 1970s because Furukawas doesn't send the Naim into bursts of oscillation.
Yeah, you have. It’s spelt cables not Kables. 🤪
Entertaining
The trouble with top hifi is that it's so expensive.
Have you ever tried "shotgunning" speaker cables? I tried it this weekend and had great results!
What is that?
@@stereoreviewx It's when a fixed width gap is made between positive and negative cables... much like the old nordost or new Van Damme cables. Great video, thanks!
I'm still very sceptical. Where's the science? Issues like skin effect apply to RF signals at MHz or GHz frequencies, not 20kHz. Interconnect cables are carrying tiny currents over very short distances, especially compared to what goes on in a studio. I reckon I've got a good ear but have never heard the difference between cables.
Youve never heard the difference because there are no differences
Well said
I'm a firm believer in cables from different companies having their own sound. I'm a big fan of the Van Damme blue series speaker cables, they just sound right to me, but when i tried some Atlas speaker cables, they were muted by comparison. That was my wake-up moment with cables, which really made me question the differences. Not that more expensive is better, but just different cables can affect the sound, so it's opened a real can of worms for me.
I'm a firm non believer in cable, biggest con in audio ! Audiophile network switches are another. It's amazing what the human mind will convince you, well for a short while.
For the price , Van Damme are amazing cables. The newer Van Damme LFOFC gave me a smoother sound than the Blue with same great detail:)
Yhea!! Yhea!!
The Van Dell Hull, hope I write it right, have less bass and that provoke the "brighter" middle, because of the length.
Yes that’s what I’m hearing
There has been blind test with same atc compact speakers, and a cheap system ,cheap cables cheap sony cd, cheap behringer poweramp, and system2 very expensif high end cables, teac vrds cd, yba poweramp preamp ....well most couldn't hear difference, some preferred cheap system ,some expensif....it proved one could not hear it, you can find this test on the net
I think it would be possible to prefer the cheap cables one day when I’ve got some one to help me I might just try a proper blind test in various areas speakers cables et cetera
Brilliant 👍🌈
What I always say when I am asked about expensive cables is: people always better put the money into the speakers! Since he's no longer satisfied (?), Sell the speakers and buy something new (better).
I’m not sure that spending money on expensive cables is going to give you much improvement on your sound quality. You would be better off spending money on upgrading your speakers, amplifier, turntable, phono cartridge.
Spending large amounts of money on cables would probably be of benefit when you have a high end system.
@@stevenclarke5606 Sorry, but I disagree with that.
Even if you have a high-end system and are considering upgrading it with exorbitantly expensive cables, it is much less effective than if you go over and z. B. take a look at the switches of your exorbitantly expensive loudspeakers ... unfortunately many well-known manufacturers still use, for example, sinks with iron cores or ceramic resistors or other junk or swap the bell wire internal wiring of your loudspeakers against "van" for me the Hull "1qmm cable (not too expensive).
You can carry out the same procedure with your amplifier while you are at it ... and then ... but only then (!) Can we take a look at the cabling between the devices ... but only if your speakers are over 20k lie ...
if you're looking for a sensible approach, use this:
use good connectors and wires w/ less than 10% resistance of your speakers' impedance.
same w/ interconnects considering the input impedance of the device.
use wire gauge and wire length to achieve the desired resistance.
anything else is make-belief...
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if you're interested in a little more theory:
most audio transducers are less than 10% efficient (100dB sensitivity means only 6% efficiency).
more than 90% of the power is wasted (99% in case of a 92dB sens. transducer)
depending on the frequency, most trained listeners can only detect a min of 1-2dB change in sound intensity. (search "Blind Testing a 1 dB Level Difference" for self-testing purposes)
conclusions:
for a cable to produce a 1dB change at a given frequency the transducer needs to receive 25% more or less 'power' of that fq... that's not possible w/ two wires of same resistance regardless of real world capacitance and inductance...
p= i^2 x r
p= v^2 / r
fun fact: the wavelength of an audio-frequency signal traveling down a cable as an alternating voltage can be anything from 15000km at 20Hz to about 15km at 20kHz.
I just upgraded my cables from very old red/white variety I had collected over the years, to slightly more expensive double shielded black ones with red an blue rings on them. Can't say I heard a difference (except from the ones that were clearly defective and that's why I changed them in the first place). So I did a little test. Precious Things by Tori Amos. I must say with the shielded cable it sounded a lot less chaotic and tighter, but I think I liked the voice better with the cheap red/white cable. It had more pertinence. I think it was a little closed in with the shielded cable.
Yes I mean this is it it’s just a re-orientation of sound a lot of the time
Don't try to use cables as tone controls ... As that's impossible...use a Behringer deq2496
I have been using Exposure Cables for 30yrs now.. they did cost me a arm & a leg back then but I must say that I would never change them for something more expencive because as I've got older I now find at 73yrs old that my hearing is not as good as it was back then but they are still doing the job for me.. but love listening to all what you talk about Kalvin.. keep it up man.
Which is best ?
Copper ore from Africa or South America.?
Neither it’s copper ore rolled on the thighs of a virgin
Great vid! Snake oil? Not entirely. Every cable is an RC network (resistance, capacity) in conjunction with output and input impedance and capacity of the connected equipment!
So a cable might work perfectly fine between 2 pieces of equipment, while it’s not so great on another set.
Why: RC networks are filters, that also introduces phase distortions: sines of different frequencies don’t come out with the same alignment as they went in, and a certain roll off of high frequencies is also part of the deal. Facts, just read the electronic design books.
Phase distortions: muddy bass (but not less), high freq roll off: less detail, warmer, ...
These effects get stronger with higher RC values, and that’s linear with cable length. Short cable: not so much difference, long cable: a world of difference.
I do use good cables, short interconnects in the £30-50 range. That usually makes sense, and doesn’t break the bank. Those several £100’s cables are insane, but an opera ticket or buy better equipment.
Hi Kelvin. Just stumbled across your channel I wouldn't say I was mega into hi-fi equipment at present but find the discussions interesting. Sadly as with a lot of things it has a lot to do with one upmanship and very little to do with anything that can be proven. Offcourse if you pay £1000 for a set of cables that where sold to you by 'X' you would feel foolish to admit they might be poo. Just remember all that glitters isn't gold no matter how many bows it has attached.
Yes I wouldn’t argue with you is the emperors new clothes syndrome
👌👍
I cannot believe how much difference digital interconnects make between cd transport and dac.
Interesting
Anybody tried solid core speaker cable? DNM Reson for example
I'm using it as well as Naim NAC5- DNM is a very good cable.
@@richardjohnston4682 absolutely agree, I think this is the most overlooked audio product on the market. You don’t hear much about it but it’s great. Best part is that it’s very affordable, around 12 quid per meter. My speaker builder confirmed it’s fantastic quality.
Find me a maiden with copper coloured hair, please.
The living room also has an influence, for example I have plaster walls and that sound different from stone walls. Also whether you have flooring or a wooden floor, whether you have curtains etc. When I buy new speakers I take my amplifier with me to listen and then another 4 weeks to listen in my own environment. I used google translate.
A sound engineer I know uses single strand solid core electrical wire for his speaker cables. Doesn't rate strands.
Yes I have used mains cable solid core before it suited certain speakers tightened up the base I thought
i have always found solid core speaker wire sounded better to my ears.
10% budget, 1-3% impact.
I wouldn’t argue
I prefer copper cables only. Silver plated copper is too bright for me.
I think I agree
I once heard spend 1000s on cables and worry not about your components.... I thought that outrageous at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised the validity of that statement. My choice is Atlas cables costing £200 and up... I would not recommend silver in a cable because it' gives too much brightness and sparkle, but stick with copper only... which gives you a warmer full bodied sound. My VanDen Hull cable has good transparency and airy treble... a light sound, and it does have a little silver in it. I liked your idea of moving cables around and experimenting a little..
Main rule short as posible. If you hear cables you have to make appoitment to GP!
He lost me when he started raving about the $1000 cables blowing him away and changing the landscape of the music
Soup=Landscape
i use nordost odin a full loom
me too recomend power cable on kettle amazing
As long as you're using a cable with adequate gauge related to its length and a properly terminated one, they don't make any difference.
The only difference people hear is their brains and their empty wallets.
synergy
Tricky subject indeed. The difference is not night and day. It is synergy between the cables and the gear. It's like making soup. You need to know how each ingredient affects the taste of the soup. You need to know how each cable and interconnect affects the sound. You should not buy at random or base your decision entirely on reviews although the latter would give you an idea.
Nonsense it's wire. make your own, use 12 - 14 ga. With no more than 3-4 ft. Extra wire, if you use solid core your going to physically damage the back of your amp. Or speaker connectors
@@ericschulze5641 Mad dogs and Englishman...
Russ Andrew's were taken to court to prove their cables made a difference they got away with it by saying prove they don't make a difference.
I agree with qed, it really has a better bass/oomph.. the only thing I ddnt like in it is, it makes my system a little bit shouty..but Im still using it sometimes.
Buy some 12 guage copper speaker cable and you're done. The rest of it is just you thinking you are hearing something different.
Wrong the differences are huge but it depends how electrically clean your listening room is, cables add nothing, however they stop electrical interference. After auditioning many different cables (including power) The impact of changing my whole cabling loom to Transparent Reference the difference was and is staggering. If your spending £16k on a CD player, £16k on a phono stage and £64k on each mono block it is a false economy to use what is effectively bell wire. You have to match the cables with the amplification and speakers.
Yes, I agree. The fact I have a nine channel high-performance Dolby Atmos setup, the RF background signal noise (noise floor) was so apparent it got to the stage that I didn't even want to switch it on. Years later nearly all of my cables are now shielded and now I look forward to switching it on 😊
When I got enough money to "comfortably start" on my hi fi journey back in 1991, I've noticed that those RCA plug terminated RG-58 rf cables for video signals sound much, much better than the freebie interconnects that came with those CD players in the 350 to 500 quid price range. Things got more complicated after I won those 350 quid Monster Cable interconnects from a radio contest in 1993 plus free van Den Hull speaker cables in 1994. A kind of embarassment of riches situation for me back then that got me spoilt and snooty when it comes to budget allocation in the cable front.
It's a test thing..... Yeah. Man you don't half get in a muddle.
speaker cables make little or no difference